Ruth 3
Ruth 3:1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?
Security…”rest” in the Authorized Version; settling down; same root as in Ruth 1:9 The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.”
Typifies the rest that we will enter into when we marry Christ
Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey?
Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “SO I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,’ ” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Hebrews 4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”;
Hebrews 4:5 and again in this place: “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”
Hebrews 4:6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
Hebrews 4:7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “TODAY,” after such a long time, as it has been said: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.”
Hebrews 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.
Hebrews 4:9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest [This is what Ruth was doing], lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
While Naomi is ostensibly doing this for Ruth, nonetheless Ruth is accepting of the plan to marry into the congregation, into the people of Israel, and thereby continue the lineage of Elimelech and Naomi which I am sure was a great relief for Naomi considering what she had been through in the last ten years or so.
Ruth 3:2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative [acquaintance; someone we know]? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor.
Ruth 2:1 There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, a man of great wealth [power], of the family of Elimelech. His name was Boaz.
The writer is making a distinction here and because of that I don’t think “relative” is the best translation here. môda‛ môdâ‛ mo-dah’, mo-daw’ ; an acquaintance:[YLT] All the Israelites were related
We can know of Jesus Christ but not really know Him
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Romans 3:11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS; THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS AFTER GOD.
Romans 9:15 For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE COMPASSION.”
Romans 9:16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God.
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
1 Corinthians 2:5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
1 Corinthians 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: “EYE HAS NOT SEEN, NOR EAR HEARD, NOR HAVE ENTERED INTO THE HEART OF MAN THE THINGS WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1 Corinthians 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For “WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Ruth 3:3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking.
Wash – baptize; anoint – Holy spirit; clothed in our best [righteousness]
Ruth 3:4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
Ruth 3:5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
We will see later that she explained a little more than we are told here, as the writer fills in some of the blanks for us later
Ruth 3:6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her.
Ruth 3:7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
Probably particularly happy now that the famine was over not so long ago
Uncovered…to give him the opportunity to cover her, to show her mercy???
Ruth 3:8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet.
Position of submission
Now truly awake I imagine
Ruth 3:9 And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.”
Now she makes her petition, presents herself humbly
Uses the same terminology that Boaz had used in the previous chapter
Ruth 2:12 The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”
kânâph kaw-nawf’ From H3670; an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army) a wing, (of a garment or bed clothing) a flap, (of the earth) overspreading
Entering into a relationship that was marital; offered protection; care; subjection
Exodus 19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exodus 25:20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.
Ezekiel 16:8 “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD.
close relative…
Nelson Study Bible: a protector or guarantor of the family rights. He could be called upon to perform a number of duties
- to buy back property that the family had sold;
- to provide an heir for a deceased brother by marrying that brother’s wife and producing a child with her [evidently “brother” being understood as a more encompassing family relation than just a literal brother];
- to buy back a family member who had been sold into slavery due to poverty; and
- to avenge a relative who had been murdered by killing the murderer.
The goel must
- be related by blood to those he redeems [and Christ came in human flesh] (Deut. 25:5, 7-10; John 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 2:14, 15);
- be able to pay the price of redemption [as Christ was able through His blood] (Ruth 2:1; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19);
- be willing to redeem [as Christ was willing] (3:11; Matt. 20:28; John 10:15, 18; Heb. 10:7);
- be free himself [from whatever caused the need for redemption, i.e., the redeemer cannot redeem Himself] (Christ was free from the curse of sin).
Notice how the word translated gaal is translated in:
Isaiah 47:4 As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.
67 out of 98 in KJV translated into a form or redeem (redeem, redeem, redeemer, redeemeth)
The overwhelming meaning and connotation of the word is relating to redeem.
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
One more parallel that we might draw is that the process of redemption could not begin until Boaz awoke from his sleep, in much the same way that our process for redemption could not have begun until Christ awoke from the grave.
Ruth 3:10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich.
More kindness or mercy in doing this than leaving her country, her people, her ways behind and following Naomi and looking after her in her old age and providing for her. Now she was even more willing to go above and beyond.
Kindness=Mercy
Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Because of this we will see that indeed it is returned in the next verse
Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.
As a side note: Nothing untoward is going on here. Boaz blesses her for her actions and now he calls her a virtuous woman. Most people see this.
He commits to do according to the law in Deuteronomy 25:5-10
Levirate marriage – duty of kinsman to
town [better translated gate] GILL:meaning either all the people that pass through the gate of the city, that is, all the inhabitants of it, or the whole court of judicature, the elders of the city, that sit in judgment there, as was usual in gates of cities
Ruth 3:12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.
Redeemer – Kinsman redeemer
In this case it may have been an uncle vs cousin
Ruth 3:13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.”
KJV Ruth 3:13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
as the LORD lives…an oath of sorts
Ruth 3:14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”
So she lay at his feet until morning …Stayed at his feet, now covered
she arose before one could recognize another… While it was still dark, perhaps to avoid the appearance of evil and protect Ruth’s reputation
Ruth 3:15 Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she [he] went into the city [Bethlehem].
measured six ephahs of barley…six measures of barley [ephahs are way too much for this type of cloak]
she [he] went into the city … A typographical error in Ruth 3:15 rendered the pronoun “He” instead of the correct “She” in that verse. This caused some of the 1611 First Editions to be known by collectors as “He” Bibles, and others as “She” Bibles.
Ruth 3:16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her.
Ruth 3:17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’ ”
Ruth 3:18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
What we have seen in terms of the analogy, is that God was working in Ruth’s life and drawing her to His people and Boaz as the type of Christ in concert with God showing his interest in Ruth. Ruth then in turn followed God’s lead out of her country into a new land and reciprocated Boaz’s consideration for her by her willingness to enter into a marital relationship.
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